Never in a million years did I think I would be writing about animal sperm.
But here we are.
This Sunday’s front-page article features a lot about animal sperm – and how it is cryopreserved, or frozen, at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden to ensure endangered rhinos, polar bears and cats remain in our world. As you can see from the story, endangered plants are also cryopreserved in the zoo.
My interest in this story started with questions. What exactly is cryopreservation? Who the hell knew cryopreservation took place in our zoo? And even crazier: who knew that the cryopreserved materials are stored in a handful of tanks in a basement? I certainly don’t.
I had so much no idea. I’m glad I at least looked into it.
I first heard about the zoo’s cryopreservation work two years ago. I interned at The Enquirer for writing features. I went to the zoo to write a quick piece about Morticia, the corpse flower that blooms every five to ten years and smells like rotting flesh. During that fateful afternoon, I interviewed Megan Philpott. Yes, the one from today’s cryopreservation story.
Megan told me in an offhand comment that she had saved and cryopreserved some of Morticia’s pollen for research. “What in the world is cryopreservation?” I asked. I held on to the question for two years. It wasn’t until I returned to The Enquirer this year as a full-time reporter that I was able to do a deep dive.
The process of writing this story was an eye-opener. The story’s photographer, Frank Bowen, and I have visited the Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife, known as CREW, three times. We visited the laboratory where the animal and plant cells are prepared for freezing temperatures. We saw the room where some animals, mainly endangered cats, are artificially inseminated with cryopreserved sperm. We even got to see some success stories: CREW scientists and horticulturists are breeding the endangered Kentucky Clover, which has all but disappeared, to restore populations in the Bluegrass State.
Who knew? Again, not me.
I knew so little about this subject. I explored the unknown territory through interviews and reading research papers. But that’s what I love about journalism. I’m constantly learning about anything and everything. I feel like a mini “expert” on different topics. My curiosity is running wild.
I bet that’s why some of you readers enjoy consuming these stories too.
I never thought I would write about animal sperm. But luckily I can tell you all about it now!
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why I’m glad I wrote a story about animal semen for The Enquirer
